Thomas Dennis

“I made a Black Forest Gateau”

“Making the Black Forest Gateau was time consuming and had a lot of elements. The process is very methodical and you need to be precise or it won’t turn out well. I enjoyed it because it was another thing that I’ve learned to perfect here at DkIT and it has further advanced my abilities.”

“I love how much practical work my course involves and it is the main reason that I chose DkIT’s culinary arts course. When comparing this course to the culinary arts courses available in Dublin, the difference in kitchen time was almost double. I think if you’re doing a culinary arts course, the amount of time you spend in the kitchen cooking and learning different things is the most important because by doing practical activities you learn the best and improve your skills the most. We also get the opportunity to do work placement throughout our time here. Placement was another deciding factor for me because it allows us to get out there and experience the industry which is so important, especially for people who have never got the chance to work in a kitchen outside of college. It can prepare them and show them what’s expected of them because culinary work is very demanding, so it is important to give people a chance to experience it and to apply the skills they have learned in class to a reall-life setting.”

“We get to bring our food home whenever we make something except for Thursdays because we are cooking for the public. I think that’s great experience too. The college opens up the training restaurant and members of the public or staff and students from the college are welcome to come in and dine with us.”

“I commute to DkIT by getting by public transport. The application was simple. I applied as a mature student and I did this through CAO and once I spoke to the acess office in DkIT about admissions and fees, I was able to make an informed decision for myself.”

Best think about DkIT?

"The hands-on learning and the contact hours with lecturers. They will always make time to see you and answer your questions or give you some extra tutoring. I also like the relationship with lecturers, they treat you as a peer not as a student which I definitely prefer.”